PCB 4123 Advanced Well Testing

Instructor
AP Dr Muhannad Talib Shuker

Lecture Outline
Review of Well Testing Theory
Radial Diffusivity Equation
Flow Regimes & Boundary Conditions
Solutions to RDE
Stabilized flow conditions (PSS & SS)
Transient flow condition

Application of solutions to Well Testing

Pressure Draw Down Test
Pressure Build Up Test

Dimensionless Groups
RDE in Dimensionless Form
RDE Solution in Dimensionless Form

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Radial Diffusivity Equation

c t P
1 P
2P
=
+
r r
k
t
r 2

P
2 P 1 P
c t
+
=
2
r
r r
0 . 0002637 k t
Where;
k
= permeability, md
r
= radial position, ft
P
= pressure, psia
= total compressibility, psi-1
ct
t
= time, hours

= porosity, fraction

= viscosity, cp
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Darcy Unit

Field Unit

Assumptions:
1. Radial flow into well opened entire thickness of
formation
2. Laminar flow (Darcy)
3. Homogeneous and isotropic porous medium
4. Porous medium has constant permeability and
compressibility
5. Gravity effects are negligible
6. Isothermal conditions
7. Fluid has small and constant compressibility
8. Fluid viscosity is constant

Solutions to RDE
2P
1 P
c t P
+
=
2
r r
k
t
r
Constant Terminal Rate (CTR) solution
Flow rate (q) remains constant (can be +ve, -ve, or 0)
Pressure is obtained as a function of time (t) and location (r)
Used in well testing

Constant Terminal Pressure (CTP) solution

Pressure (p) remains constant
Flow rate is obtained as a function of time
Used in estimating water influx

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Solutions to RDE: Flow Regimes

RDE can have many solutions, depending on the boundary
conditions applied
However, boundary conditions are imposed to get solutions for the
following 3 flowing conditions (FLOW REGIMES) most useful for well
testing purpose
Transient State (Infinite acting, not stabilized, boundaries not felt)
Pseudo Steady State (Stabilized condition, boundary dominated, no-flow
boundary)
Steady State (Stabilized condition, boundary dominated, constant
pressure boundary)

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Flow Regimes: Pss

Boundary effects are felt
Applicable only for closed i.e., no-flow outer boundary (may be either real or virtual)
Rate of change of pressure becomes constant
p = f (r, t);

and

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p/t = constant

Flow Regimes: SS
Applies after the transient period to a well draining a cell which has a completely
open outer boundary
It is assumed that, for a constant rate of production, fluid withdrawal from the cell
will be exactly balanced by fluid entry across the open boundary
p = pe = constant, at r = re , and p/t = 0

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Solutions of RDE: Pss & SS flow

Also called stabilized well inflow equations (Darcy Unit)
Applicable only when boundary dominated flow is established
To use Field Unit, substitute (q/2kh) by 141.2 qBo/kh

Ref. Dake. Ch 6

Drainage Area of Different Shapes: Dietz Shape Factor

Pss solution with Dietz Shape Factor

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Flow Regimes: Transient

Pressure wave moving through reservoir, boundary not felt yet
Flow period known as infinite Acting Radial Flow (IARF)
This gives rise to a complex solution of RDE in which both the pressure and
pressure derivative, with respect to time, are themselves functions of both
position and time, thus
p = f (r, t); and

p/t = g(r, t)

Initial Condition:

P (r , 0 ) = Pi

Boundary Conditions:

2 kh P
r

r rw

Inner Boundary

q =

Outer Boundary

P (r , t ) = Pi

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Solution to RDE: Transient Flow

Approximate solution: Line-Source Well
Assume that
(1) a well produces at a constant rate, qB
(2) the well has zero radius
(3) the reservoir is at Uniform pressure, Pi Before production begins; and
(4) the well drains an infinite area (p pi ; as r )
Line source solution to the diffusivity equation is:

Darcy unit, eqn. 7.11

(Dake)
Field unit

Exponential Integral
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Solution to RDE: Transient Flow

This solution can be obtained by
Boltzman Transform
Laplace Transform
Derive the solution by Boltzman Transform (after Dake, ch. 7)

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Solution to RDE: Log Approximation to Ei function

A further simplification of the solution to the flow equation is possible:
for X<0.02, Ei(-X) can be approximated with an error less than 0.6% by Ei(-X) =
ln(1.781X)
To evaluate Ei, table is used for 0.02<X10.9
For X0.02, natural logarithm approximation is used
For X>10.9 , Ei function can be considered zero for application in well testing

Darcy unit, eqn. 7.10 (Dake)

Field unit, eqn. 1.151 (3 J)

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Application of RDE solutions to Well Testing: Pressure Draw Down Test

The log approximate solution to RDE:
modified to obtain the following form, which is the model for the PDD
Pwf = Pi

162 . 6 qB
kh

k
log (t ) + log
2
c t rw

3 . 23 + 0 . 869

pwf = pressure at the wellbore any time during flow

pi = initial pressure
t = elapsed time after production begins
= pororsity
= viscosity
ct = total compressibility; s = skin factor

This equation is similar to

Y = B m log X

and suggest a semi-log plot ofPwf

vs
log (t )

with a slope of 162 . 6

qB
kh

should be a straight line

Interpretation of PDD Test Data: Semi-log Analysis

Pwf

15

One log cycle

Pwf1
Pwf2
100

Slope = Pwf2 Pwf1

101

102

103

104

t
Based on the model shown before, the data is plotted on a semi-log plot
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105

Interpretation of PDD Test Data: Semi-log Analysis

Draw the best fit straight line through the MTR data points
Obtain the slope of the straight line
slope = m = 162.6

qB
kh

The absolute value of the slope is used to estimate the effective permeability to
the fluid flowing in the drainage area of the well
k = 162 . 6

qB
mh

And the skin factor is (absolute value of m must be used here as well)
(P P1 hr
s = 1 . 151 i
m

) log

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2
c t r w

+ 3 . 23

16

Application of RDE solutions to Well Testing: Pressure Build Up Test

17

pws = pressure at the wellbore any time after shut in

pi = initial pressure
tp = producing time (or pseudo-producing time, or Horner approximation time)
before shut in
t = elapsed time after shut in
this equation is the main mathematical model for the PBU
Equation of a straight line on semi-log paper, with slope

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PBU Interpretation: Example Semi-log (Horner) Analysis

18

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19

PBU Interpretation: Equations

skin
pressure drop due to skin
flow efficiency

radius of investigation
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Dimensionless form of Diffusivity Equation

Dimensionless Pressure:

PD

kh
=
qB

(Pi

P)

Dimensionless Radius:

rD

r
=
rw

Dimensionless time:

tD =

kt
c t r w2

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The diffusivity equation then can be expressed in

dimensionless form by utilizing the dimensionless
groups as:

1
rD rD

PD
r D
rD

PD
=
tD

Solution to RDE in Dimensionless Form: Transient Flow

Diffusivity Equation:
1 PD PD
rD
=
rD rD rD t D

For

r D2
1
=
E i
2
4tD
rD2
< 0.01
4t D

Initial Condition:
Outer Boundary:
Inner Boundary:

The solution:
PD

Initial and Boundary Conditions

P D (r D , t D = 0 ) = 0

P D (r D , t D ) = 0

PD
lim r D
rD 0
rD

= 1
rD
1 t

= ln D2 + 0.80907
Exponential integral can be approximatedPDas
2 rD

At the well bore, rD = 1, thus the final form of the solution:

1
P D )wellbore = [ln t D + 0 . 80907 ]
2
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Summary
RDE is the mathematical description of fluid flow through porous media
Solutions to RDE forms the basis for Well Testing (Pressure Transient Analysis)
For PTA, 3 flow regimes are of importance:
Transient flow
PSS flow
SS flow

The mathematical models for PDD and PBU are derived from the transient solution of RDE
The semi-log analysis of PDD and PBU test data are infered from the solutions of RDE
RDE and its solutions can be expressed in ordinary form as well as in dimension form
It is important to understand the underlying mathematical basis for the interpretation
methods of well test data

AP DR MUHANNAD TALIB SHUKER